Tuscany offers a huge variety of options for bikers, whether you’re a road cyclist, mountain biker, or you like to get out on the pathways for a ride with the family. Here’s a guide to what’s available during the summer months (and winter months for the brave souls who don’t let a pesky thing like winter stop them).
Road Cycling
If you’re feeling adventurous and like to head out on your own, a great place to start is heading north out of Tuscany on 12 Mile Coulee Road and either continuing on North past Rocky Ridge or heading towards Cochrane on Highway 22. Secondary highways abound from there, with many great routes north and west.
If you prefer to ride with others, Calgary Crankmasters cycling club has group rides on Saturdays and Mondays out of the Bearspaw Lions Club (just a short ride from the northwest corner of Tuscany). You can find more information on their website about becoming a member (calgarycycling.com). Another cycling group that has some group rides in or near Tuscany is the Elbow Valley cycle club (elbowvalleycc.org/)—they offer a lot of great group ride options for cyclists and mountain bikers.
Mountain Biking
One of the gems of Tuscany is 12 Mile Coulee. It has some great single-track trails for mountain bikers. Jumping into the coulee from the north end just off of Tuscany Blvd., east of Sobeys, you can take any number of trails that lead to the southern end of the coulee. If you want a little more than the coulee has to offer, you have two choices: continue along the pathway south to Bowness Park and make your way to Canada Olympic Park on the pathway system. From there you can ride the trails right at COP, or you can make your way a bit past there to the trails on Paskapoo Slopes.
If that’s a little too far, once you’ve reached the end of the coulee head east toward Silver Springs along the pathway system and head over to Side Show Bob, a local favourite. This winding trail will take you along the river with great views of the new Park being constructed by The City of Calgary at the east end of Bowmont Park. You can find information on all these trails and more at trailforks.com.
Pathway System
Calgary is home to one of the most extensive pathway systems in North America, and Tuscany has some of the best parts of it. There are pathways throughout all areas of Tuscany, connecting the neighbourhood to Rocky Ridge, Silver Springs, and one of the best connections: the Bow River pathway. Simply follow the pathway from Home Depot to Stoney Trail, take a right at the underpass and you’ll end up near the Bow River at a t-intersection. Go left and you hit Baker park, go right and you end up in Bowness Park. This is a great way to get out and spend some time in nature on your bike without ever having to leave the pathway system, a great option for families who may have chariots or children biking with them.
Not only does Tuscany have some of the best biking options in Calgary, it’s also home to a local bike tuning and repair shop that will come to your home to pick up and drop off your bikes. There’s nowhere else in the city that gets that kind of service—Tuscany is truly a biker’s paradise!
